ObservationReflection05 - JonathanB

I taught my lesson during Exeter West-Greenwich's Enrichment Period. As such, I had a lot of freedom to design any lesson I wanted since it was not being taught during an actual class. However, the enrichment period was only 25 minutes long, so I could not make the lesson as in depth as I would have liked. Since Mrs. Brocato would be teaching her students about matter soon, I decided to teach a fun little experiment about solubility. The experiment I did with the students was to create a mini-Lava Lamp using water, vegetable oil, food coloring, and an alka-seltzer tablet. I brought enough material for everyone to create a lava lamp. Once the experiment was over I gave a brief (very brief since the class was so short) powerpoint presentation on what the term "solubility" means and how it was related to the experiment. Then as an assessment I had them to fill out an exit ticket that asked for the definition of "soluble" and "insoluble".

Taxonomy of Reflection	Description
Remembering: What did I want, do, feel, and think? What did the student(s) want, do, feel, and think?	Since this lesson was not one that had to match up with the curriculum for the class, I wanted to do a fun and exciting experiment with the students. Therefore I choose to teach them how to make mini-lava lamps. I was initially a little nervous about teaching the lesson since It was the first time I was on my own teaching these students. However, once I started I remember thinking that I had no reason to be nervous and that the students were captivated by my lesson. The students absolutely loved the experiment and were fascinated with how the different substances interacted with eachother. They diligently listened to my Power Point presentation and gave thoughtful answers when asked questions.
Understanding: What was important about it? For me? For the student(s)? For both of us?	The most important thing about this mini-lesson to me was to show the students how amazing science can be, even using simple household items. I wanted to teach them an important science concept while also having fun. For the students, I think the most important thing about the lesson was the end result of the experiment. They did listen to the Power Point but it was obvious their joy came from seeing the mini-lava lamp in action. I do believe that the experiment helped them to understand the concept.
Applying: Where can I use this again?	This experiment could be utilized in any science class that you are trying to teach about the properties of matter. At the middle school level you could talk about more simplistic ideas such as solubility and density. At the high school level you would get into more complex concepts like polarity. Also the experiment is cheap and quick and is fun for younger students as well as older students.
Analyzing: Do I see any patterns in what I did?	A pattern I noticed was that I got much more comfortable teaching once I realized the students were actually interested in what I was showing them. Once I got past my initial nervousness I spoke and moved with a confidence that surprised me. Another pattern I noticed was that students seemed comfortable talking and joking with me.
Evaluating: What was effective and what was not effective?	The most effective part of the lesson was the experiment. Everyone followed the directions perfectly and with the exception of one tiny spill of vegetable oil, everyone made their lava lamp with no problems. The Power Point was not as effective as it could have been. When reading the assessment exit ticket I noticed that a few students still had trouble grasping the concept. I feel that the reason for this was my limited time. If I could have gone slower and added more info to my Power Point I am confident the concept would have been better understood by the students.
Creating: What could I do next?	One thing my cooperating teacher told me that I could do next time is to start the lesson with a focus question. I did ask them questions about if they have ever observed two substances that did not mix well together, but I could make the question more focused in the future.